Monday, 28 September 2015

IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE GARDEN OF 2015

The last few weeks have seen a drastic change in the weather, signalling to the garden crew that it is time to start packing it in. With school back in full swing, and activities taking up multiple nights of the week, time is limited. Time to weed, time to plant, time to enjoy watching the garden grow is just not there. Summer is over. It is now time to clean up the mess, celebrate our harvests, and get ready for next spring.

GARDEN PRODUCTION 2015

Although exact numbers are not in yet, the stats we do have show astronomical increases with many crops - Kale production up 250%, Tomatoes up 400%, Zucchini up 9 units (from zero in 2014).

A perennial producer, the Raspberry bush, continued to fill bowl after bowl brimming with berries. Approx 40-50** cups worth**Stats
on the berries are estimated this year as the bush was raided during
the 80's Birthday bash by many party goers and stripped bare before
stats could be calculated.

Elli took the lead on Raspberry maintenance and climbed into the bush with a set of heavy duty wire clippers. He went to work cutting down the old canes. If left to grow, the old canes will not produce many berries next year. Removing them also allows the newer canes to have more room and expand - allowing them to reach 'peak berry production'. This is important and dangerous work (due to the thorns that grow on the stems). Work gloves, long sleeves, and protective eye gear should be worn.

The old raspberry canes (description: Brown and two years old) were culled by Elli earlier this week

2015 was the first year for carrots and it was very successful. Very little work and one pack of seeds produced one giant bowl of grade A, delicious tasting, bright orange roots.

Bowl o' Roots

Carrot harvesting was a fun event held late Sunday afternoon. Using only their bare hands, a shovel, and buckets full of determination, the Dirty Hands crew uncovered carrots of all shapes and sizes.

Lolli found a big one

Oskie pulled with all his might...

...success!

Lacking a tooth did not stop Elli.

Another new addition to the garden in 2015 was a mint plant. The younger citizens have become fond of a drink called 'water with mint leaves'. Over the summer they made many glasses of water with a leaf or two of mint in it. As the season ends a bowl of leaves was picked, dried, and is to be used over the winter in a drink called 'hot water with mint leaves'.

This mint plant also plays an ornamental role in the front garden.

Fresh mint

Dry on rack for a week

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

One long term strategic goal of the Garden Committee is to become as self sufficient as possible, especially in regards to plants and seeds. This year the committee took a giant leap forward saving seeds from many of the top producing plants. Green beans, Kale, and Yellow Tomato seeds have been saved and sealed away to be grown next year.

Thursday, 17 September 2015

CAMPING: A FOCUS ON FOOD

Earlier this summer the citizens of the Place Under The Pine took a few days and went camping. At a run down, crumbling, private campground only 30 minutes out of town they set up tent. The citizens of the PUTP are always up for trying new things, new foods, and new places...and for the majority of the time this strategy works out great, but, every once in a while a new campground (for example) will consist of sparsely shaded fields crammed with campsites and bathrooms overflowing with toilet water and not-overflowing with toilet paper. In cases such as this the family must band together and latch onto the positive things (most of which they brought and made themselves, as in food). And, that is exactly what they did.A can of beans, a hot dog roasting over a campfire, s'mores, are all classic camping food. Easy, filling, and taste good. But, what else can you do with some tin foil and a campfire? Search Pinterest to find out. It will blow your mind!**Be forewarned the food used in the following recipes is not from the backyard garden of the PUTP, it is not organic, it is not even all that healthy...what it is, is easy. There is your warning.** In the case of the PUTP, they tried a few new camp recipes and loved (yes, they get that emotional about their camp food) them!So, get the fire going!

Allowing your six year old to start his first fire will invoke great feeling of pride...and pyroism

CAMP FOOD

First up - MR.NOODLES(Step one - open a styrofoam container and pour boiling water in.)

This easy, cheap, and fun meal comes in its own container!

If the tone of my writing did not come through clear enough, this is a really bad joke. Sorry.LOADED CAMP FRIES(Frozen fries, cheese, bacon bits.)

Ingredients nestled onto the tinfoil

Double layer this hot mess to prevent burnt fries

CAMPING PORK CHOPS, CAMPING CORN ON THE COB, AND POTATOES(the potatoes were 'loaded' later with cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream)

A small BBQ was used, however, a grate over a campfire would be acceptable too.

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

ONE SCARF DONE, ONE ELEPHANTS STILL ON THE GO

I am joining Ginny and her Yarn Along gang again, sharing our yarn work and the books we are reading. To see more knits and books click on the button below.

With the cool weather just a few weeks away Jen whipped up a quick scarf - arm knitting - in classic fall colours (brown and orange). She paired this scarf with The Rosie Project, her book club book for the month. They go great together eh?

As you may recall from the previous Yarn Along - way back in May! - Matty was working on that crocheted elephant. Surprise, surprise, he is still working on that elephant. It has come along, thought, and is now almost done. He only needs to add some buttons for the eyes...so, Oskie should get his elephant in the next few months (haha).

On the book front, Matty has made that classic bookworm mistake of starting two books at the same time. Do you do that too? The 'bad' part is that he feels both books are awesome...and both (he says with slight embarrassment) are YA books.

REDWALL - an animal filled adventure/fantasy epic full of heroic mice and the most evil sounding rats ever!

ERAGON - A boy finds a dragons egg which throws him into an adventure of epic proportions!

Saturday, 12 September 2015

CAMPING, RETRO AMUSEMENT PARKS, & BEARS (GREAT BIG MOTHER BEARS!)

The Moose River - the children were making sounds similar to the mating cry of the moose in this pic

Ahh the majestic beauty of the broad Moose River, meandering its way through the Adirondack mountains...interrupted by the cranky noises made by a family of touristing Canadians.Two nights of little sleep combined with long, fun filled active days, made the last stop on the return trip home a frustrating and loud affair.Do not let this image convince you that the PUTP trip to Old Forge was a disaster. This image is more of a byproduct of two great days filled with memories. Let me tell the tale...Old Forge, NY, is a tiny, touristy, village found nestled in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. The draw to this place, for the PUTP at least, is the local water/amusement park (Enchanted Forest / Water Safari). Its location, only a three hour drive away, and the affordable (aka cheap) prices are what really seal the deal.This year's trip was a spontaneous last minute decision. The last few times the family has visited Old Forge they stayed in the small cabins, however, since it was last minute there were only tent sites available. Being experienced tent campers this did not phase them at all...ah, how memories fade (an inside reference to the visit of 2007 where Matt, Jen, and baby Olivia abandoned the tent and slept in the car due to the bears).

DAY ONE

The fam arrived and set up camp in record time. They ate a tasty dinner of nachos covered in chili and cheese. They explored the wild beauty of the campground. Then they topped the night off with a roaring campfire.

Classic Canadians playing hockey in the woods

Lake Serene - one example of the natural beauty found in the Adirondacks

NIGHT ONE

A quiet snuffling was heard outside. Matt spotted a tiny bear slowly making its way through the nearby campsites. Jen and Matt watched the dark shadow as it made its way closer to the tent. Matt told the bear to 'shoo'. This noise surprised the baby bear causing it to cry out and scramble up the nearest tree - which was directly overtop of the tent! Heavier stomps from a Mama bear came charging toward the tent. Loud, nervous sounding snorts and quiet growls came from Mama. She wanted to know why her baby was scared.Inside the tent Matt and Jen were more than scared, they were terrified. This seemed liked like a worst-case scenario - what to do when you are between a Mother Bear and its crying cub! In this case, putting a thin layer of nylon between yourself and the snorting bear, and remaining deathly quiet was the right answer.After a minute or two (or what seemed like hours to Matt and Jen) the baby climbed down and the Mama bear calmed down. The continued their hunt for coolers and picnic baskets.Inside the tent it took much longer to calm down. And, just as they thought all was ok they heard another loud snuffling noise - a second bear was cruising through their campsite. This one, after finding no garbage or coolers, made an attempt to open the van door. Apparently, the campground bears have learned that if they scratch their mighty claws down the side of vehicles the doors will sometimes open!Sleep did not come that night.

DAY TWO

The sun was out and the weather was hot - an ideal day to go to the water park!Enchanted Forest Water Safari is a unique place. Half of the park is quaint little houses and statues depicting classic stories like The Three Bear or Hans and Gretel. They are retro, which is just a cool way of saying fifty years old, but, well taken care of.

Paul Bunyan greets you as you enter the park - this is a must have photo!

The Paul Bunyan photo from 2007 - fun to compare the years

Elli posing on the Cinderella carriage

This park is ideal for the young family. It is small, casual, and full of entertainment for all ages.The small size makes it easy to find parking. By this I mean only feet from the entrance (parking is free I might add). The park is busy, but never feels crowded. The small size is also a plus when you forget the sunscreen in the van - it only takes two to five minutes to make your way out to the parking lot and back. The small crowds make lines for rides either small or non-existent. Yet, for a small park there always seem to be enough to do. There is a tiny train to ride, a petting zoo, midway rides, and dozens of different water slides for all ages...and the PUTP wanted me to mention their all time favourite ride - BUMPER CARS!Word of warning - with the small lines and the casual atmosphere some of the rides go longer than you'd expect. For eg, instead of a minute or two for the bumper cars, sometimes they go for five or more!

The Enchanted Forest Express

The ol' Flivver ride

Classic carousel

Strange men

The petting zoo - this is not photoshop'd, Olivia really is petting a sheep

The family favourite - Bumper Cars

NIGHT TWO

As the family settled around another roaring campfire, finishing up the last s'more before heading off to bed, there was a kerfuffle from the neighboring campsite. As the family looked over, a large dark shadow quietly made its way through the trees - ♪ it was a bear...a great big mother of a bear...♪Ignoring the yells from nearby campers the bear casually walked through campsite after campsite eventually circling back toward the PUTP's site. Closer and closer it came, until it was about ten feet away from the family, then a loud clap and yell made it rush off into the trees.That night the tent was left vacant as the family piled into the van and slept...uncomfortably to say the least.

DAY THREE

Waking early the family started another active day. The boys killed a couple of early morning hours by walking around the entire campground. Next, the family took to Lake Serene on a paddleboat and enjoyed a quick swim. Just after 11 they were packed up and driving down the busy main street in Old Forge. The village of Old Forge is lined with tourist shops selling wooden bear
things, moose inspired signs, wind chimes...that kind of thing. It has an older feeling to it, I suppose since it was developed as a tourist destination fifty years ago, so there is no McDonald's or Starbucks, just small family run seasonal places. It is a nice change from many other tourist spots.

Foot powered cruising on Lake Serene

They stopped for a classic American Diner style lunch at Walt's (a place they have been going to since their first visit). It's hard to find good tuna melts in Canada, so this greasy spoon is a real treat. The restaurant has a huge counter you can sit at, the walls are covered with signs (many with sarcastic or questionable sayings), and the waitresses still write orders with pen and paper! This is not staged to give a nostalgic feel to the place, this is how the place actually runs.

Walt's on main street right next to the Olive oil store.

Fries with some strange gravy (sorry no cheese, that is a Canadian thing)

Kid's grilled cheese (at a reasonable $3) comes with potato chips!

Fun hot dog!

Ahh, the infamous Tuna Melt!

Sandwich covered in another kind of gravy...yum!

Another fun thing you will find in Old Forge is the garbage cans. With the bear problems they need put armour and locks on the garbage to keep them out.

Bear proof garbage cans

To sum it up - Great camping, awesome day at the water park, yummy tuna melts, and TWO bear stories. This is a trip that will be remember for a lifetime!**We will try to forget the two sleepless night, combined with action filled days, causing the ride home to be filled with grumpy kids (and parents) making grumpy noises**